What Began With an Apple Must End in Destruction
by Sunrose22
Summary: With the help of a damned woman's prophecies and a powerful benefactor, Shang Tsung interferes in final Kombat and dooms Earthrealm. Now the two surviving souls, Sonya Blade and Princess Kitana, must survive the merged realms, one as a wanted rebel, and the other as Shao Kahn's prisoner. Set in Threshold Storyline, during Annihilation.


Title: What Began With an Apple... Must End in Destruction

Author: Sunrose22

Disclaimer: I don't own Mortal Kombat!

Rating: Mature, for gore and violence

Note: This fic goes along the first two MK movie story lines. It basically begins during Annihilation. If you haven't seen the movies... Wow. Just wow.

A HUGE, GINORMOUS shout out to my dear friend, elphiesglinda. She is an amazing beta, and an even better friend. Love ya hun!

Chapter 1: Shang Tsung

There were many prisoners in Shao Kahn's dungeon. The shadow priests tortured them according to their "crimes." Some were put in racks or chained to a hook for an acid bath. They all suffered differently except for one constant: The rats. These dog-sized creatures scurried around freely, their little feet clicking on the stone floor. They squeaked gleefully while they picked at the flesh of rotting corpses and plucked out the eyeballs of unfortunate victims. The captives wailed helplessly as the brazen rodents gnawed on their appendages.

Lately, the rats' favorite place in the dungeon was the last cell of the third corridor on the second floor. In the cell, a dead body sat in a slumped position, his head lolled back against the stone wall. The rats had chewed a whole in his stomach and his innards were spilled outwards. He was missing both eyeballs and half his face. Luckily he'd died of a untreated wound before the overgrown rodents reached him. Not so lucky was Shang Tsung, who rested on a blood-stained, smelly mattress in the same cell. The rats hadn't touched him yet, but he was stuck there day-in and day-out with the corpse. Even though he could analyze the body without wincing, he had to hold down a gag every time he breathed in the nauseating stench.

Tsung sighed, moved into the lotus position, and closed his eyes. He thought of Liu Kang, the Earth Champion who disgraced the sorcerer, and his face hardened. The image of his own defeat played over and over in his head. He grit his teeth as he remembered whimpering to the emperor for forgiveness, which was all the more humiliating.

A sharp pain screeched through his leg. A particularly large rat had taken notice of him and ventured over to test the waters. The thing was almost the length of Shang's torso. Tsung scowled "Disgusting." He snarled, stood up, and stomped on the rodent's head. On one hand, it brought a smile to his face when he pretended it was Liu Kang's head, on the other the loud noise brought his presence to the others' attention. Tsung's eyes widened as a few more looked over at him and the squeals increased to an alarming pitch. Soon all eyes were on the sorcerer. Then they swarmed. Without his powers, which Shao Kahn confiscated, Shang's only defense was his boots. He kicked some back while they tried to climb on him. Then he stomped through their brains with his soles. He felt blood squish below his heels with each step.

As the furor continued, Tsung felt panic well in his stomach. They were coming on too quickly. He backed away, his foot hit the mattress and he fell onto the padding. "No! Get off me you vile creatures!" He shouted. They ignored him. Everybody in the dungeon ignored him. He closed his eyes and it hit him: nobody was coming to save him. He was alone, helpless, and about to become rat fodder.

Then, as quickly as the attack began, it ended. He propped himself up on his elbow to take a gander. A green force field held the screeching rats back. They scratched at it, eager to get back to their fresh meat. Shang jumped to his feet and approached the field. Where did it come from? He arched an eyebrow and looked outside the cell. "Whose there?" He demanded. Nobody answered; nobody was there. He looked once again at the little animals. "Strange." He muttered.

"Greetings, Shang Tsung."

The necromancer turned to see a cloaked figure standing by his bed. He narrowed his eyes."Who are you?"

The figured bowed its head. "My identity is unimportant.." Shang peered into the hood. She reached up and pulled the hood down. Underneath it was a soft face framed by slick black hair. Her olive skin accented her cocoa brown eyes. "You do not know me. My name is Helena. As I said before, all that matters are my master's wishes."

Tsung grunted. "And those are?"

"He wants me to free you."

Shang shook his head. "Who is your master?"

"All will be explained in due time." She motioned at the cell door, which opened on its own accord.

"You want me to blindly follow you?" Tsung stroked his chin. "And if I refuse?"

"I am instructed to leave you here-" She looked pointedly at the rats. "-and take my force field with me."

Shang and Helena made a speedy exit. Somehow, Helena dodged the guards like she knew their movements. Once outside, they ran out of the main courtyard and into the wastelands of Outworld. After they ran a couple miles, the pair stopped. "We're far enough to use a portal."

"Yes, we are." Shang deadpanned. He grabbed her by the neck and twisted her into a headlock. "We're also far enough that nobody will find your body for WEEKS."

Helena gasped. His arm pressed right against her windpipe, making even the slightest breath painful. "B-bu-" She rasped.

"You're absolutely right, Helena, we don't know each other." He rasped against her ear. "Nobody whose met me would turn their back on me without having an ace in the hole." He growled. "Now, who sent you? Who is this 'master' you speak of?"

"Please!" She pleaded. "I can't! He'll kill me if I-"

"Damned if you do, eh?" Tsung dug his nails into her neck. "Well, just think, you'll be more than damned if you don't." Those words struck a chord. Shang didn't know what about them caused her change, but suddenly he was doubled over and grasping the bite marks on his arm. He stalked after the small woman.

"Oh Gods, I'm sorry!" She sobbed, backing away. "It was a reflex! I swear I didn't mean it!"

"Unfortunately for you, I will mean this." He backhanded her. Helena fell to her knees, crying pitifully. She lowered her head as Shang readied for the final blow. In his fury, he missed her hand that slipped into her robe. His fist froze in mid-air. He tried to frown, but his face was also frozen.

"Tsk tsk, sorcerer." Helena chuckled. "Perhaps I know more than you think?" In his weakened state, he couldn't fight her powers. Helena moved around him. "You said I was 'damned if I do?' What do you know about damned, sorcerer? You think sitting in your little cell is some kind of punishment? Why don't you come to my neck of the woods?"

Something in her words piqued his interest. "Where would that be?" He realized he could speak.

"Let me put it this way: Its the only place that takes one big mistake you've made, twists it around, and turns it into an eternity of torment." _The Netherrealm... Shinnok? _Shang thought back to how well Helena knew Shao Kahn's castle. Shinnok was Kahn's father, after all. That would also explain the guards disappearance. _But why?_ Tsung shook his head-or tried. What was Shinnok's plan?

"Yes, the Netherrealm." Helena's eyes glazed over. "When I died, I was put in level Three."

The woman fell five respect points with those words. Level 3 was most notoriously known as "The Halls of Whores". It was reserved whose greatest sin involved debasing themselves in the name of their crime. Some of the most notorious women throughout history were victim to the inhabiting demons' sick, depraved modes of torture.

"Aww. You're one of _them_." Although he couldn't contort his face, Shang's voice had a smirk in it.

Helena ignored the jab and held up an emerald amulet. It was made of a pale metal, which the necromancer immediately recognized as Ivoric. The slaves in the Subterranean Outworld mines labored their pitiful existence for just a nugget of this 'metal', which was a hybrid of Ivory and Platinum. Not even the emperor had enough to make such a fine artifact. Only one thing could be surmised: The owner of the amulet was extremely powerful. This made Tsung a tad nervous.

Helena sensed his trepidation. "My master gave me this to keep you in line. You see, the merger between Earth and Outworld is nearly complete. Tonight Kahn and Earths' champions will face each other- my master has high stakes in this fight. Unfortunately, Shao Kahn is destined to lose."

"And your point?"

"You hold a grudge against Shao Kahn. Master understands, and he sympathizes- Really, he does. However, he wants you to put that aside for now."

"Shao Kahn stripped me of my powers and left me to rot in a dungeon. Why should I help him?"

"Because he is your only hope. What do you think Raiden and his humans will do to you once they win?" She asked. "Face it, sorcerer. You have one choice: you must redeem yourself in the eyes of the emperor. He needs to see you as an indispensable asset. What better way than to hel phim win?" The more Helena spoke, the better this deal sounded. "Its in your destiny. You will become Kahn's most powerful noble. Hell, you could even usurp him for all we care." Helena grinned. "Master just needs Earthrealm to lose."

"What do I need to do?"

The amulet gleamed, and Shang Tsung regained control of his body. Helena placed it back into her robe. "Its simple, really." She stated. "We need to rally the troops."


End file.
